Mexican Street Corn Empanadas

According to Donna Kelly, author of the cookbook Empanadas, these delightful little hand-held pies originated in Spain in 700 AD and have since spread all over the world. Empanadas with meat fillings are hugely popular in Latin America but almost any filling, sweet or savoury, can be tucked inside these pastry pockets. Perfect your empanada technique with this recipe and then you can use your imagination to come up with other tasty vegetarian fillings.

 Ingredients

Dough

• All-Purpose Flour 2 cups
• Heavy Cream 1 1⁄3 cups
• Salt 1 tsp

Filling

• Corn Kernels 2 cups, fresh or frozen
• Butter 1 Tbs
• Cream Cheese 4 oz, softened
• Lime Juice 1 Tbs
• Green Onions 3, thinly sliced
• Prepared Dough Recipe (see below)
• Chili Powder 1 Tbs, optional
• High Heat Oil (such as vegetable oil, peanut oil, or avocado oil) for frying

Cook It

1. Make the dough: Stir all ingredients together in a bowl. The dough should come together as a clump, and if needed, add a little more cream. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Gather the dough together in a disc that is about 2 inches thick. Wrap the dough with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and up to overnight.
2. Make the filling: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the corn in butter, until the corn has softened, about 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice and green onions. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Make the empanadas: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and, using a light dusting of flour, roll out to a 1⁄4-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 12 (4 1⁄2-inch) circles. Roll out each circle to 6 inches and about 1⁄8-inch thickness.
4. Fill each circle with 3 tablespoons of filling. Wet half of the dough circle edge. Fold the dough up over the filling, forming a half-moon shape. Using a fork or the tip of a paring knife, press the outer 1⁄4 inch of the round edge of the empanada. Turn the empanada over and crimp the other round edge in the same way.
5. Use a large saucepan half filled with high-heat cooking oil, or a skillet with about 2 inches of oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees.
6. Place a few empanadas in the oil, being careful not to overlap them or crowd them in the pan. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn the empanadas over and cook the other side until golden brown, another minute. Drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. While the empanadas are still hot, sprinkle with a little chili powder if using. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 300-degree oven until ready to serve.

Excerpted from Empanadas by Donna Kelly. Photographs by Lauren McDuffie. Reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith Books. Adapted slightly for style.